Meta Releases First Proprietary AI Model: Muse Spark
The model is intended for personal AI use, and the vendor admits it is limited in certain agentic capabilities and coding.
Press Releases
Istanbul Blockchain Week Returns in June 2026 Amid Surging Crypto Adoption in Türkiye
Press Release
Istanbul Blockchain Week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — APRIL 2026
Istanbul Blockchain Week Returns in June 2026 Amid Surging Crypto Adoption in Türkiye
Istanbul, Türkiye · April 2026 · Fifth Edition · June 2–3, 2026
Istanbul Blockchain Week, organized by Web3 marketing agency EAK Digital, is set to return for its fifth edition on June 2nd–3rd, 2026, at the Hilton Bomonti Hotel. Following last year’s success, this year’s event is gearing up to host prominent leaders and organizations in the industry, with more opportunities to learn at the heart of Eurasia’s key crypto hub.
According to a recent report by Chainalysis, Türkiye leads the Middle East and North Africa’s largest cryptocurrency market, recording nearly $200 billion in annual on-chain transactions — almost four times that of the UAE. Challenging economic circumstances have driven substantial adoption of crypto in Türkiye, serving as an economic necessity and a form of investment to navigate financial uncertainties.
$200B
Annual on-chain transactions in Türkiye (Chainalysis)
Against this backdrop of rapid growth, Istanbul Blockchain Week will highlight the city’s thriving ecosystem, its evolving regulatory landscape, and innovative projects that are shaping the Web3 revolution locally and globally.
“We are thrilled to return with the fifth edition of Istanbul Blockchain Week, aiming to make it even bigger, bolder and more impactful than ever. We look forward to building on last year’s success and creating an unforgettable experience where people connect, learn, and shape the future of blockchain together.”
— Erhan Korhaliller, CEO of EAK Digital & Founder of Istanbul Blockchain Week
Bringing the Global Web3 Community to Istanbul
From blockchain and AI experts and thought leaders to influencers and enthusiasts, IBW 2026 is poised to draw thousands of attendees from around the world, leveraging Istanbul’s strategic position between the major financial centres of Dubai and London to explore the latest in emerging technologies.
The two-day event will host unique fireside chats, thought-provoking panels, insightful discussions, roundtables, and workshops showcasing the hottest topics in Web3 — including real-world asset tokenization, AI, regulations, privacy, and stablecoins.
IBW 2025 Featured Speakers Included:
Justin Sun — Founder, TRON
Ali İhsan Güngör — Executive Vice Chairman, Capital Markets Board of Türkiye
Mehmet Çamır — Chairman, OKX TR
Kostas Chalkias — Co-Founder & Chief Cryptographer, Mysten Labs
John Linden — CEO, Mythical Games
Aaron Teng — CEO, Igloo Asia (Pudgy Penguins)
Building on the success of last year’s edition, IBW 2026 is the ideal platform for fostering meaningful connections, partnerships, and growth within the crypto and blockchain industry. As the countdown begins, IBW 2026 is set to unveil groundbreaking innovations and hands-on Web3 experiences.
Early sponsorship opportunities are now available to gain premium visibility and engagement with a global Web3 audience.
For more information, visit istanbulblockchainweek.com.
— ENDS —
About Istanbul Blockchain Week (IBW)
Istanbul Blockchain Week (IBW) is Türkiye’s flagship Web3 conference and expo, bringing together founders, developers, investors, enterprises, creators, and policymakers in the heart of Istanbul. Produced by EAK Digital, IBW showcases the technologies and people shaping crypto, DeFi, AI agents, gaming, and real-world assets.
Across recent editions, IBW has welcomed 20,000+ attendees and 500+ speakers from leading protocols, exchanges, and institutions. The program features a main-stage conference, large-scale expo, a KOL Summit, investor roundtables, workshops, and curated networking designed for real deal-flow.
To learn more and get IBW tickets, visit istanbulblockchainweek.com/tickets.
5 Days Left — Win a Bitcoin 2026 Pro Pass
BTC $66,873 ▼
ETH $2,051 ▼
RSI 46.1 — NEUTRAL
SMART MONEY: OUT
JOBS: 228K vs 140K EST
EASTER WEEKEND — THIN MARKETS
CLARITY ACT: 80–90% ODDS APR
GIVEAWAY CLOSES WED APR 9
BTC $66,873 ▼
ETH $2,051 ▼
RSI 46.1 — NEUTRAL
SMART MONEY: OUT
JOBS: 228K vs 140K EST
EASTER WEEKEND — THIN MARKETS
CCS Insider · Issue #2 · April 4, 2026
5 Days Left — Win a Bitcoin 2026 Pro Pass
Plus: What the Jobs Report Means for Crypto
Ashton’s Take
It’s Friday, and it’s Easter weekend. The jobs report just dropped — 228,000 jobs added in March against a 140,000 estimate. Strong number. That pushes rate cut expectations further out, which is a near-term headwind for risk assets. Bitcoin is at $66,873, still inside the descending wedge. No breakout yet.
This isn’t a normal weekend either. Easter means thinner liquidity than usual — fewer traders, fewer market makers, faster moves on less volume. And Trump has a habit of dropping Iran headlines after US markets close. If that happens this weekend, crypto will feel it immediately with no cushion. The range of outcomes is genuinely wide: sideways drift, or a 5% move in either direction before Monday morning. Position accordingly — don’t force a trade into a thin market.
The CLARITY Act is still moving. Institutional interest hasn’t reversed. Fear & Greed recovered from 8. None of that changed today. Watch the Monday open for the first real signal — US markets are closed today (Good Friday) but reopen Monday.
⏰ Giveaway deadline: Wednesday, April 9🏆 Giveaway — 5 Days Left
3 Pro Passes to Bitcoin 2026
🤝 In partnership with Token Metrics and Ian Balina — one pass drawn exclusively from Token Metrics subscribers who also subscribe to CCS Insider.
Afroman just announced as a featured performer. Alongside the institutional speakers and the hallway deals that actually move this industry — The Venetian is going to be something. Full announcement →
Subscribe to CCS Insider — Subscribe free and open the newsletter in your inbox. Active subscribers are entered into the general draw.
Refer friends — The more people you refer, the more entries you get. Your referral link is in the footer of the newsletter email — log in and open it to find yours.
Token Metrics subscribers — Subscribe to both Token Metrics and CCS Insider for a separate exclusive draw — 1 pass reserved only for this pool.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST · Winners announced Friday, April 11
This Week on CCS
How to protect governance and verify identity onchain — without giving up your data
Shady El Damaty · Co-Founder, Human.Tech
Most identity solutions ask you to hand over your data to prove you’re human. Human.Tech built a different model — privacy-preserving proof-of-humanity using zero-knowledge proofs and client-side computation. Shady breaks down how the Human Network secures 2.6M+ cryptographic keys backed by $3B+ in restaked ETH, how 43M+ credentials have been issued across protocols like Optimism and Lido, and why the right framing is keys + self-custody rather than IDs.
Market Analysis — Bitcoin 4H
Price
$66,873
Volatility
4.48%
RSI
46.1 Neutral
Smart Money
OUT
Bitcoin is still compressing inside the descending wedge with no breakout yet. The weekly and daily are both bearish, the 3H is neutral, and the 45M is starting to turn bullish — which tells you short-term buyers are trying, but the bigger trend hasn’t confirmed anything. RSI sitting at 46 with Smart Money OUT means there’s no real conviction in either direction right now. The one thing worth watching is volatility at 4.48% — heading into a thin Easter weekend, that’s a setup for fast moves on relatively little volume.
Today’s jobs print (228K vs. 140K estimated) adds another layer of uncertainty. Strong employment pushes rate cut expectations further out and removes a near-term catalyst for risk assets. That doesn’t kill the bull case, but it does mean we need actual price confirmation, not just narrative, before the wedge resolves higher.
What I’m Watching
A 4H close above the descending trendline with volume is the signal — that opens the path to $75,714. On the downside, lose $67,183 and $63,725 comes back into play. The Monday open will be the first real read after the holiday weekend.
Support
$67,183 → $63,725
Resistance
$75,714 → $76,000
Market Analysis — Ethereum 4H
Price
$2,051.72
Volatility
2.01%
RSI
45.8 Neutral
Smart Money
OUT
ETH is tracking weaker than Bitcoin right now, which is worth noting. The weekly is bearish, the daily is neutral, and the 3H has flipped bearish — the AI flagged a take-profit near the recent local high and price has since pulled back to $2,051, sitting just a few dollars above the $2,047 support level. Volatility at 2.01% is notably compressed compared to Bitcoin’s 4.48%, which typically signals one of two things: either a quiet weekend where nothing much happens, or a sharp move the moment something breaks.
The Glamsterdam hard fork in June — which bumps the gas limit from 60M to 200M — is a building narrative that institutional buyers are starting to pay attention to. But that’s a medium-term story. Right now, ETH under-performing BTC heading into a low-volume Easter weekend is not a setup for aggressive positioning.
What I’m Watching
Hold above $2,047 and the structure stays intact heading into next week. Lose that level and $1,997 comes into focus. A clean 4H close above $2,082 would be the re-engagement signal, with $2,419 as the next meaningful target.
Support
$2,047 → $1,997
Target
$2,082 → $2,419
Range High
$2,715
Sponsored
Sponsored by
XYO Network
The Original DePIN Protocol — Now with Its Own Layer One. 10M+ nodes. A decade of proof-of-work. Built for high-volume data, AI infrastructure, and RWA tokenization — with dual tokens $XYO and $XL1.
Weekly Signal Recap
Filtered for signal, not noise.
📺 Missed Tuesday’s edition? Read it here → — Bitcoin in the wedge, Fear & Greed at 8, Fannie Mae, Morgan Stanley ETF, and the full giveaway details.
⭐⭐⭐
Midnight network goes live — the first blockchain built with privacy as the default. Charles Hoskinson’s Midnight uses ZK proofs and a hybrid ledger for compliant, privacy-preserving apps. 4B+ tokens claimed, $1B+ market cap at launch. Google Cloud and MoneyGram are launch partners. Read our full breakdown →
⭐⭐⭐
Token Metrics reinvents itself as an AI market desk. Ian Balina’s platform now runs 50+ data feeds through an automated intelligence engine — Polymarket integration, smart money scoring, free daily brief. Read the CCS exclusive →
⭐⭐⭐
CLARITY Act at 80–90% odds of passing by end of April. Ripple’s Garlinghouse and JPMorgan both called it a positive catalyst. Could end regulation-by-enforcement and open the altcoin ETF pipeline. Watch Senate Banking for markup timing.
⭐⭐⭐
Franklin Templeton launches Franklin Crypto via 250 Digital acquisition. The $1.5T manager is building an active institutional crypto unit, with part of the deal settled in BENJI tokens. Closes Q2 2026.
⭐⭐⭐
Jobs report — 228K vs. 140K estimated. Rate cuts pushed further out. Near-term headwind for risk assets. Watch Monday equity open.
Charles Schwab ($12T) to launch Bitcoin and Ethereum trading soon. Millions of brokerage accounts about to get direct crypto access.
Coinbase gains conditional approval for a US national trust company charter. A federal-level milestone putting Coinbase alongside legacy financial institutions.
IMF: “Tokenization is reshaping regulated finance.” When the IMF puts it in writing, it’s no longer a fringe thesis.
Robinhood CEO: “Markets closing at the end of the day is a legacy design choice.” Called tokenization the infrastructure for 24/7 markets. Robinhood Banking crossed $1B in deposits from 65,000 customers. Full breakdown →
Drift Protocol drained of $285M — one of 2026’s biggest DeFi hacks. If your crypto is on an exchange or hot wallet, it’s exposed. Full breakdown → · Find the right Trezor →
CoinShares to list on Nasdaq via $1.2B SPAC. Joins Circle, BitGo, Bullish, and Gemini in the infrastructure IPO wave.
US unemployment 4.3%, below expectations — paired with the jobs print, confirms a strong labor market and less Fed pressure to cut.
Easter weekend. Thin markets. Iran wildcard. Know your levels, don’t chase, and know that sometimes no trade is a trade.
The infrastructure buildout hasn’t stopped. The legislation is moving faster than most people realize. The Fear & Greed Index was at 8 earlier this week — that number doesn’t stay there long. If you’ve been waiting for a moment that looks obvious in hindsight, you’re probably in it right now. It just doesn’t feel like it yet because it never does.
Stay patient this weekend. Let the noise settle. Monday open will tell us more than anything happening between now and then.
See you next week.
Ashton Addison
CEO, Crypto Coin Show
Midnight Launches to Make Privacy the Default in Web3
Breaking News — Blockchain Infrastructure
Midnight Launches to Make Privacy the Default in Web3
The world’s first fourth-generation blockchain goes live, aiming to unlock real-world adoption by protecting sensitive data on-chain without sacrificing compliance or transparency.
Network Now Live — March 30, 2026
“Privacy by Default.
Disclosure by Choice.”
Disclosure by Choice.”
Fourth Generation Blockchain
The Midnight Foundation, an independent organisation dedicated to advancing the development, adoption, and real-world impact of the Midnight network, announced on March 30, 2026, that the Midnight network is now live — marking a defining step in the evolution of blockchain infrastructure and the beginning of what Midnight’s founder Charles Hoskinson has described as the fourth generation of blockchain.
The fourth generation addresses the fundamental barriers that have prevented blockchain from supporting the real world at scale — the ability to protect sensitive data, execute compliance logic on-chain, and make blockchain as accessible as any other technology. Most blockchains require users to sacrifice privacy in order to participate. Midnight is built to change that.
4B+
Tokens claimed in the Glacier Drop
$1B+
Market cap surpassed post-launch
Mar 17
Genesis block created, 2026
Key Capabilities
Hybrid Ledger Architecture
Combines public and private data, enabling applications to process sensitive information without exposing it to the network.
Client-Side Proofs
Zero-knowledge proofs generated on the user’s device — identity, eligibility, and compliance verification without data leaving the user’s hands.
Shielded & Unshielded Assets
Developers choose whether information is shared on-chain. Shielded assets keep balances and transaction flows off the public ledger.
Selective Disclosure
Compliance logic is programmed directly into an application — defining exactly when transaction information must be revealed and to whom.
Compact Programming Language
A TypeScript-based smart contract language that abstracts away zero-knowledge cryptography, making privacy-preserving development accessible to millions of developers without specialist expertise.
“Midnight is the first public blockchain that gives the world the infrastructure it needs to come on-chain — without sacrificing privacy or compliance.”Charles Hoskinson — Founder & CEO, Input Output Global
The launch follows significant early market traction, including the completion of Midnight’s Glacier Drop — one of the largest and fairest token distributions in crypto history — where more than four billion tokens were claimed by users across multiple blockchain ecosystems.
Midnight also introduces an innovative dual-component tokenomics model that addresses one of the most persistent barriers to blockchain adoption: token volatility. By separating the asset used to govern and secure the network (NIGHT) from the resource used to pay for transactions (DUST), Midnight ensures operational costs remain predictable, while creating a path toward a future where users no longer need to hold volatile crypto assets simply to use the network.
Phased Rollout
Midnight’s Genesis block was created on March 17th, with the network opening to the public on March 30th following two weeks of infrastructure testing and validation. The network is launching with a deliberate, phased rollout — an approach designed to ensure stability, security, and long-term resilience as applications launch and the ecosystem expands.
Early development on the network is expected to explore use cases including on-chain multi-trade facilities, confidential vaults, and privacy-preserving financial applications — categories that have historically been constrained by the transparent nature of existing blockchains. Launching alongside partners including Google Cloud and MoneyGram, Hoskinson noted that “for the first time, organisations of this scale have committed not only to running critical infrastructure but also to building and deploying live applications on a public network.”
“When privacy is built into the system itself, it becomes possible to bring real-world activity and assets on-chain without exposing the underlying data — unlocking entirely new forms of economic value.”Fahmi Syed — President, Midnight Foundation
Bitcoin 2026 Announces Afroman as Featured Speaker
Bitcoin 2026 Announces
Afroman
Featured Speaker · Las Vegas · April 27–29
Afroman Heads to Bitcoin 2026 After Landmark Free Speech Showdown
The Bitcoin Conference today announced that Afroman — rapper, cultural provocateur, and newly vindicated defender of free speech — will take the stage at Bitcoin 2026, taking place April 27–29 at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.
Known worldwide for his 2001 hit “Because I Got High,” Afroman has spent the past three years fighting a case that became about far more than music. In 2022, law enforcement officers raided his home, found nothing, and left. Afroman responded the way artists do: he made music about it, using his own security footage to document and challenge what happened.
Seven officers sued him for defamation, seeking nearly $4 million in damages and the removal of his content. Earlier this month, a jury sided with Afroman, ruling in his favor and closing the case. Walking out of the courthouse, he told reporters:
I didn’t win. America won.
— Afroman, outside the courthouseIt’s a story Bitcoin understands. Bitcoin has increasingly become a platform for individuals pushing back on overreach — whether in finance, speech, or ownership of creative work. Afroman’s legal battle, sparked by a police raid and fought with music, media, and memes, resonates deeply with a community that values transparency, self-sovereignty, and the right to speak freely.
- Seven officers sued Afroman for defamation, seeking nearly $4 million in damages
- A jury ruled in Afroman’s favor, closing the case earlier this month
- Afroman will speak on stage at Bitcoin 2026 in Las Vegas, April 27–29
- His American flag suit worn during the legal battle will be displayed in the Bitcoin Conference Art Gallery
- The suit is up for auction via Scarce.city as part of the Relics of a Revolution exhibition
Bitcoin has always been about more than money — it’s about defending the right to speak freely, build freely, and live freely. We’re proud to stand with people who fight for that.
— Brandon Green, CEO, BTC Inc.Afroman’s presence at Bitcoin 2026 extends beyond the stage. The American flag suit he wore throughout his legal battle will be on display in the Bitcoin Conference Art Gallery as part of Relics of a Revolution — an exhibition exploring protest art and asymmetric responses to institutional power throughout Bitcoin’s short history.
The suit is currently up for auction through Scarce.city. Preview the full auction catalog at shop.museum.b.tc.
Event Details
April 27–29, 2026
Dates
The Venetian Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
30,000+
Expected Attendees
Bitcoin 2026 will bring together more than 30,000 attendees from across the globe, with 500+ speakers across multiple stages. The conference is organized by BTC Inc — a Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA) company — and serves as a vital platform for Bitcoin industry leaders, developers, investors, and enthusiasts to gather, network, and exchange ideas.
✦ ✦ ✦
About The Bitcoin Conference
The Bitcoin Conference, organized by BTC Inc — a Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA) company — is a global event series featuring notable industry speakers, workshops, exhibitions, and entertainment. The Bitcoin Conference hosted approximately 67,000 attendees in 2025 across events in the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
For more information, visit 2026.b.tc
🏆 Giveaway
Win 3 Bitcoin 2026 Pro Passes
$1,200 each · In partnership with Token Metrics · Deadline April 9
Enter Now ›
Upcoming Events
The international event series continues with Bitcoin Hong Kong (August 27–28, 2026), Bitcoin Amsterdam (November 5–6, 2026), and Bitcoin MENA in Abu Dhabi (December 2026). View all upcoming crypto events →
Media Contact
Kristyna Mazankova
Head of PR, BTC Media